Course Descriptions

Department of Elementary Education

EDUC 533 (3-3-0) Home, School and Comm Relations: A course on the planning and marketing of public relations strategies for the betterment of education and school support.

EDUC 602 (3-3-0) Foundations of Education: A study of the origins, development, and contemporary status of education and schools in the United States, with emphasis on issues related to the control of public education and to the organization of school programs and curricula.

EDUC 610 (3-3-0) Planning and Implementing Instruction for Diverse Learners: The course addresses the origins, concepts, trends and principles of multicultural education, equity and the conceptual framework on cultural diversity in relation to education. It also exposes the students to a critical conscious approach to dialogue as an effective method applicable to diversity across the curriculum. The topics will include concepts that facilitators of learning will need in order to skillfully, and effectively teach in a multicultural setting. Specific content areas to be covered will be the topology of American cultures and how the following aspects impact on the cultures: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual orientation, Physical condition and Age. The following concepts will be discussed as part of the conceptual framework on diversity, Ethnocentricity, Eurocentricity, Afrocentricity, Interculturality, Crossculturality, Group dynamics and organizational development. Discussions will focus on explication of the concepts and development of strategies for conflict resolution and situational leadership, thus enabling the facilitator of learning as a change agent to learn to appropriate actions in dealing with the contradictions that shape the education system from economic, social, political and psychological and philosophical aspects.

EDUC 640 (3-3-0) Principals and Practices of Supervision: An introduction to educational administration and supervision, including such topics as the multifaceted role of the supervisor, administrative organization, decision making, instructional leadership, curriculum planning, staff development and evaluation, group dynamics, effective school and classroom research, teacher-learner dynamics, motivation, behavior, leadership styles, interpersonal relations, cultural pluralism, and contemporary trends in education.

ELEM 505 (3-3-0) Modern Math for Elementary Teachers: A study of numeration systems and the real numbers as a basis for teaching mathematics in the elementary school.

ELEM 530 (3-3-0) Remediation of Mathematics Difficulties: An exploration of factors that contribute to mathematics difficulties in the elementary and middle school, tests that aid in the diagnosis of difficulties, and techniques for preparing and evaluating individualized educational plans and strategies for remedial instruction.

ELEM 533 (3-3-0) Foundations of Arithmetic: A study of the elements of modern mathematics basic to understanding the mathematical system.

ELEM 534 (3-3-0) Social Studies in Elementary School: An analysis and evaluation of programs, strategies, and materials for achieving the social studies objectives outlined in the North Carolina course of study.

ELEM 540 (3-3-0) Math Education for Gifted Children: An in-depth study of curricula, methods, and materials for teaching mathematics to gifted children.

ELEM 552 (3-3-0) Foundation and Curriculum of Early Chilhood Education: An in-depth study of the historical, psychological, and sociological foundations of early childhood education and an exploration of current trends and programs in the field.

ELEM 553 (3-3-0) Teaching and Evaluation in Early Chilhood Education: An exploration of teaching strategies and evaluation processes in early childhood education. (Field experience required.)

ELEM 560 (3-3-0) Reading/Language Arts for Gifted Children: An in-depth study of curricula, methods, and materials for teaching reading and the language arts to gifted children, with attention to examining characteristics of the gifted, assessing their unique learning needs, and investigating aspects of creativity.

ELEM 615 (3-3-0) Techniques of Teaching in Elementary School: An exploration of effective teaching techniques and innovative forms of organization and instruction in elementary education.

ELEM 616 (3-3-0) Problem Sem in Lower Elementary Grades: An application of research techniques to the study of problems in education at the lower elementary grade level.
Prerequisite: EDUC 680

ELEM 617 (3-3-0) Problem Sem in Upper Elementary Grades: An application of research techniques to the study of problems in education at the upper elementary grade level.
Prerequisite: EDUC 680

ELEM 623 (3-3-0) Advanced Language Arts in the Elementary School: An exploration of basic ideas and techniques in the teaching of language arts in the elementary school, with emphasis on approaches for facilitating communication.

ELEM 624 (3-3-0) Teaching Writing in the Elementary Schools: A study of the writing process and the teaching of composition.

ELEM 635 (3-3-0) Problems in Science Education: A practical course in the basic content of the pure and applied sciences, with attention to acquiring techniques for teaching science in the elementary and middle grades and to developing learning activities and instructional units for classroom use.

ELEM 640 (3-3-0) Issues in Elementary Education: This course involves an in depth investigation of current issues and problems that affect elementary education in America. This course also includes a study of trends in curriculum, teaching practices, and evaluation of these topics in terms of effectiveness on teaching and learning. A close examination of the scope and sequence of the elementary school curriculum. (Field experience required.)

ELEM 652 (3-3-0) Selected Topics in the Biological Sciences for Elementary Teachers: A study of selected topics in the biological sciences, with applications to the teaching of the biological sciences in the elementary and middle schools.

ELEM 653 (3-3-0) Selected Topics in the Physical Sciences: A study of selected topics in the physical sciences, with applications to the teaching of the physical sciences in the elementary and middle schools.

ELEM 654 (3-3-0) Selected Topics in the Earth Sciences: A study of selected topics in the earth sciences, with applications to the teaching of earth sciences in the elementary and middle schools.

ELEM 680 (3-3-0) Advanced Studies in Child Literature: An in-depth study of literature for children, with emphasis on the history of children┐s literature, criteria for the selection of quality books, major authors of children┐s literature, and current trends and issues in the field.

ELEM 690 (3-0-3) Practicum in the Elementary School: A supervised practicum in grades K-6, primarily for students without acceptable prior teaching experience.

ELEM 691 (3-3-0) Integrating Technology in the Elementary School Curriculum: This course is designed to further develop abilities in using technology, electronic media and other multi-media in teaching and curriculum planning. This course not only addresses the use and application of very specific types of technology, but also focuses on how technology can be used as a thinking tool to foster meaningful learning.

READ 512 (3-3-0) Improvement of Reading Instruction: An introduction to fundamentals of reading instruction and remediation, including the skills essential to the early detection and treatment of reading problems.

READ 513 (3-3-0) Read Remediation and Practicum: A practical course in the design of reading programs appropriate to individual and group needs, with a practicum experience in the facilitation of individual and group reading activities. (Closed to students with equivalent undergraduate course work.)

READ 516 (3-3-3) Applied Phonics: An introduction to the essentials of phonics, with emphasis on applications to word identification and pronunciation in teaching children to read.

READ 550 (3-3-0) Reading in Junior and Senior High School: A lecture and laboratory course in the principles and practices of teaching reading at the junior and senior high school levels, with emphasis on means of assessing students' reading skills and on methods and materials for enhancing their reading abilities in the content areas.

READ 551 (3-0-3) Teaching Reading in the Content Area: A practical course in the principles and methods of reading instruction in content areas of the K-12 curricula.

READ 552 (3-0-3) Teaching Literacy Across Content Areas: This course provides an in depth study of reading comprehension strategies and study skills needed in order to read in the content areas. Different types of text, structures and features of expository (informational) texts, and a variety of reading strategies will be explored.

READ 601 (3-3-0) Special Topics in Reading: A practicum course that develops skills in observing, recording, and analyzing children┐s reading and writing behaviors and implementing effective methods for teaching literacy to young children at risk or reading failure. Generates understanding of theories of reading and writing processes and of reading acquisition from an emergent perspective.

READ 605 (3-0-3) Investigations in the Teaching of Reading: Investigations of research studies on the reading process, including analyses and critical evaluations of the research, with particular emphasis on psychological principles and educational implications.
Prerequisite: EDUC 690

READ 610 (3-0-3) Foundations of Literacy: This course provides basic information about the reading process what it is how the child learns to read instructional strategies, and materials available for facilitating literacy teaching.

READ 611 (3-3-0) Foundations of Reading: A study of the fundamentals of the reading process, including instructional strategies, methods and materials for teaching reading, techniques for diagnosing reading problems, and methods of remediation.

READ 618 (3-3-0) Reading:The Learning Bases: An exploration of educational and psychological studies on the reading-learning process, with particular emphasis on applications to the teaching of reading and to remediation of reading-related problems.

READ 620 (3-0-0) Assessment and Evaluation of Reading Problems: This course provides a laboratory experience in studying, assessing, and evaluating, literacy problems and in developing plans for correcting reading problems.
Prerequisite: READ 610

READ 621 (3-3-0) Clinc Pro Ident/Eval Rdg Disab: A study of the principles and practices of remedial instruction in reading, with practical experience in application of clinical procedures.
Prerequisite: EDUC 680 And PSYC 692 And READ 611 Or READ 605

READ 622 (3-3-0) Remediation of Reading Disabilities: A study of the principles and practices of remedial instruction in reading, with practical experience in application of clinical procedures.
Prerequisite: READ 621

READ 623 (3-3-0) Correction of Reading Problems: Provides a laboratory experience in analyzing, implementing, and utilizing specialized reading strategies designed to meet the literacy needs of problem readers.
Prerequisite: READ 620

READ 644 (3-3-0) Organiz and Mgmt of Reading Prog: An examination of the organizational planning and educational leadership basic to designing and implementing a district-wide developmental reading program for grades K-12.

READ 698 (3-3-0) Advanced Applied Product of Learning: This course has been designed to serve as a capstone or culminating experience for the Advanced Master┐s Degree Program in Education in all the specialization areas. This course will assist students in preparing the culminating activity and will encapsulate the total experiences in the program. It will provide a field-based context for the completion, presentation, and evaluation of the exit options: advanced professional portfolio, action research project, and thesis. (Other requirements related to the area of specialization, such as field experience component, may be required by the area of specialization.)

READ 699 (3-0-3) Seminar - Thesis: In-depth studies of issues in various fields of education, with conferences and discussions under the guidance of a major professor.